Pipe-cleaner.



H LOWRY. PIPE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 1910. 978. 31 6.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

HENRY LOWRY, OF BELFAST, IRELAND.

PIPE-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 7, 1910.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Serial No. 570,831.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LOWRY, of H. Lowry Limited, a subject of theKing of England, residing in Belfast, Ireland, have invented a new anduseful Pipe-Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a pipe cleaner, that is tosay, an appliance for effectively removing obstructions from sewagepipes, gulley traps, gutter pipes and the like, by means of pivotedtoothed jaws connected with a carrier removably mounted on a flexibletube provided with means for opening said jaws which are constantlyclosed by a spring and so enable obstructions to be withdrawn from pipesby pulling the flexible tube and without having to lock or keep saidjaws forcibly closed while pulling same back.

The annexed drawings show an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the head of the appliance the greaterportion of the flexible tube being broken away; Fig. 2, is

a vertical section of the head; Fig. 3, is a plan of same; Fig. 4, is ablank of a jaw; and Fig. 5, is a side-elevation, partly in section,showing the-manner of using the appliance.

The jaws a and Z; are formed with suitable teeth and are hinged on across-pin 0 fast in a bow-shaped carrier 65 which has a centralperforated boss 03 to which is secured a flexible tube 6. Preferably theperforation in the boss 03 may be screw-threaded in such a manner as toscrew onto the end of the flexible tube 6 which for this purpose can bemade of closely wound wire coil. Each jaw is fitted with ascrew-threaded hook 7 which holds the end of a spring 9 adapted tonormally keep the jaws closed. To the screwthreaded stem of each hook fexternally of the jaws there is secured a chain it by means of a nut fand said chain is connected with its middle link to an eye 11 secured toa wire or thin twisted cable in. The screw-threaded hooks allow ofadjusting the pull of the springs g.

The jaws a, b may be made in any suitable manner and of any appropriatematerial.

For example, a convenient manner of construction 1s shown in Fig. 3, bycutting a blank from steel plate and then bending the rear portion intosemi-tubular form while the front portion is overlapped so as to produce a tapering and comparatively flatmouth. Or the jaws may be stampedor cast in a suitable mold.

Obstructions can by this apparatus be re movedfrom pipes, etc., withoutbreaking or otherwise damaging same and the flexible tube can, ifdesired, also be utilized at same time, as asuction or siphon pipe forejecting liquid or other fluid matter from blocked pipes, etc., therebyallowing the person operating the instrument, to carry out and completethe cleaning operation without the unpleasant necessity of doin so, inor through the aforementioned liqui The apparatus can be used in pipes,etc., of almost any diameter and extended up same to any re quireddistance.

Obviously, it is easier to pull merely at the flexible tube 6 forwithdrawing the apparatus while the jaws keep automatically closed, thanhaving to manipulate at the same time some additional means for keepingthe jaws forcibly closed simultaneous with the pulling out of theapparatus, as is required with some existing apparatus.

I claim:

1. An appliance for use in drain-pipes, comprising pivotedspring-controlled jaws in combination with a bow-shaped carrier, ascrew-threaded central boss on the latter, a flexible pipe screwed insaid boss, and means for opening said jaws, as specified.

2. An appliance for use in drain pipes, comprising in combination witheach other, a carrier, a flexible tube connected to it, pivoted jaws onsaid carrier, a spring crosswise within the aws, hooks holding the endsof said spring, an external chain fixed to said hooks, and a pullingcable attached to said chain and leading through the flexible tube,

as specified.

HENRY LOWRY. Witnesses: PAUL KNABENSHUE, SOPHIA E. DOUGLAS.

